Unbreakable Bond
by Izzey24
Summary: For three seasons Raguna and Camus have had a close, strong friendship. Why is that suddenly starting to change? A cute, fluffy fic about the two boys of Kardia, and their discovery of strange feelings for one another. Rated M for later chapters. R&R? :3
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**A.N.**_**-**_**My first Rune Factory or Harvest Moon related fic~ I recently came to the realization that there are a lot of hot guys in Rune Factory (okay well I'd known that part for a while) but it isn't fair... cause you can't play as a girl! =/ So after playing this game at random intervals since it came out, I finally got the idea this time around when I started playing it that, 'hey! Yaoi opportunity! :D' As I started thinking about pairing and fanfiction/fanart opertunities, CamusxRaguna was a pairing that seemed to really stick out in my head as something adorable. :3 **

**I decided to try my hand at writing a fluffy little story for these two~ This will be a few chapters long for sure, and right now it will have mostly just fluffy friendship moments, but in the future things are gonna get more M rated. XD **

**So if you don't like yaoi/boylove, stay away. I don't own Rune Factory or the characters. Aaaaand please read and review guys. ^^ Thanks~  
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><p><em><strong>Prologue <strong>_

The afternoon sun was high in the clear blue sky, beating down on my head. It felt exceptionally warm for a day so early into the spring season, and it hit Pops and I warming us almost too much. Well, at least warming me too much. I glanced over at Pops, amazed at how tall he stood, looking so unfazed by the heat even with that long, thick hair of his. The sun gave it a very shiny and vibrant look, while my own was probably given a dulling effect by the bright light. I never had liked my hair though when compared to my dad's; his was a vibrant chocolate, brown, while mine was a dusty gray, blond.

Though, he always told me that it was just like Mom's… I liked that.

I turned back to Mist, avoiding the boy standing next to her, unsure of what was happening, or who he even was. "Raguna, this is Camus and Edward." She introduced in that calm natured, if a little flighty, tone of her's, while gesturing to me and my father, respectively. "Edward is the local doctor here for Kardia, and his son, Camus, runs a shop on the other side of town."

Groaning internally, I knew I had to look over to the boy when my name was stated like that. Smiling a bit weakly, I turned to him, taking him in for the first time really. Brown hair that framed his young looking face softly, but not in an over flattering manor. His blue eyes, a bit timid, shown softly in the spring light, radiating a kind personality lying behind them.

"Good afternoon," I replied, opposite Pops' shorter 'Hello.'

For a moment what little conversation existed, seemed to come to a lull, and everyone just glanced around to one another. As I tried to avoid looking at him through this, I felt the boy's (Raguna, was it?) eyes almost locked on me. I couldn't help but do the same thing, staring over at him, and soon we ended up pretty much sizing one another up in an awkward manor.

Well this was an odd introduction…

It was Mist who finally saved the conversation from a total crushing silence, and saved me and the boy from creating more of an uncomfortable atmosphere. "Raguna is going to be staying on the farm just south of town. He doesn't remember where he came from, or who he really is, so he'll be staying here in Kardia until he gets his memories back."

Both Pops and I seemed to almost perk up a little. "Really?" Pops asked excitedly- probably too excitedly. "You have amnesia then?"

Blushing nervously, Raguna scratched the back of his head, and nodded with a slight chuckle. "Erm, yeah… my name was all I could remember when I woke up on the village outskirts."

I could almost feel the excitement radiating off Pops. "Fascinating!" he said, followed by some mumblings to himself. Rolling my eyes at his behavior, I had to admit to myself that it was kind of interesting. Amnesia… I'd never met anyone with something like that before. It… was a little interesting actually. What was it like? Not remember anything but you name… How was that even possible? What did it feel like? What had even happened to him to make him forget everything?

"Well," my dad finally said, making me pay attention to my surroundings once again. More accurately, making me take my eyes off Raguna. I had been staring- how rude. "Be sure to stop by my clinic anytime, Raguna. I'm sure with a little medicine, testing and research; I can help you regain your memories."

"Ah, er, thanks…" Raguna murmured shaking Pops' hand awkwardly. He looked back to me subtly, and I gave a light smile, rolling my eyes.

"Don't worry," I said. "If you come by my shop I won't give you weird medicines or do any weird tests. I didn't inherit Pops' insanity." As my dad snapped at me lightly- something about respecting your elders, and whatnot- I watched Raguna smile and laugh. It was a very heartwarming sound to hear him laugh. I'd never heard another guy's laugh sound so sweet and intoxicating. I felt myself wanting to make him laugh more, just to hear that sound.

Mist gave a cute little giggle and waved her hand. "Edward is a great doctor. Everyone in town loves him, don't listen to Camus."

"That's just because he's the _only_ doctor in Kardia," I interjected, earning myself another dirty look from Pops. I just let myself enjoy another soft laugh and smile from Raguna, not worried about what my dad would do right now. I could get a lecture from him later.

"My store is right next to the church," I explained extending a hand for Raguna to shake. "If you have any questions about raising animals, or need any huts built, then come see me. I'm your man."

With a soft nod, Raguna's hair slid around, a few of the longer strands tickling his cheeks. His smaller, softer hand touched my own, and it was like fire seared through my whole body. He seemed to notice it too, as I saw his cheeks darken with a flush. "I- I'll be sure to stop by."

I nodded back, pulling my hand away in slight reluctance. Raguna stole a few more glances at me, while my dad said his own peace to him, talking about the clinic and such. Swallowing with a bit of difficulty, I let my eyes draw back over Raguna's form, taking more of his body in than before. He was an average height- neither tall nor short. I had to wonder how he'd be at farming with such a skinny form. Honestly, he looked slightly weak from what I could tell. Almost all of his body was covered in simple clothes, but from the little patches of his exposed arms that I could view, I had to say it didn't seem like he had much in the way of muscles.

What did I know though? The boy looked to only be about eighteen or nineteen, just a bit younger then I was, and he had a lot of time to get use to a life of farming. It would be a while still before he'd need to worry about such nuisances as marriage, and raising money for a family. Something Pops had been bothering me about for a while now.

I waved to Raguna and Mist as they began to walk off, headed towards the bookstore to likely great Russell and Cecilia. He seemed to smile right at me as he was casting a quick friendly wave over his shoulder at the two of us.

"He seems like a nice boy," Pops said, turning to head back into the clinic. I was closed today- it was the holiday- so I followed him back perfectly content to rest and laze around my room for the rest of the day.

"Maybe you'll become friends with him."

I had to stop as Pops said that. He didn't notice my sudden stop, and continued to wander back to office area on the right of the clinic. Cocking my head a bit, I glanced down at my hand. What was that feeling…? The one that I had gotten touching Raguna's hand? I'd never felt something like that before.

"Ah… yeah… I suppose," I finally said so that my dad wouldn't bring up the issue anymore. Raguna really did seem like a nice guy. He was right about my age level, and since I didn't really get along with the other guys my age here in Kardia, maybe this really would be a chance for me to make friends. Was it possible that had been the spark I had felt?

Shrugging softly I undid the buckle on my chest plate, sliding it and the jacket it held in place off my left arm. "I'm going to take a nap," I announced, hoping Pops wouldn't bother me too much the rest of the day. As I ascended the stairs, I found myself still thinking about what Pops had said….

_Friends, huh?_


	2. Chapter 2: Birthday Fiasco

Today was my birthday. Not that anybody cared… Neither did I really; I was turning twenty today, which wasn't really a special year. Although, even if it had been a special year for me the timing of my birthday was never an ideal one for celebration. Normally, the farmers around town were bringing in some of the first surpluses from their fall harvests. In just three days would also be the Moonlit Eve, distracting most of us in the younger generation, on top of anyone involved with the harvest.

This year was even worst though in terms of distraction; just yesterday there had been a nasty storm. Much of the village had received some damage to a certain degree, but it was mostly minor touch ups that needed to be done. It left both Neumann and myself stuck inside our shops with nothing to actually do, but staying inside, you know, just in case. So far I'd had no luck… I just leaned on the counter looking very, very bored.

Happy Birthday to me~

Pops had indeed wished me a happy birthday when I'd woken up, but then he'd had to busy himself with repairs to the broken clinic windows. I hadn't bothered to ask for any more then that, as I'd been in a hurry to check on my own little shop. Although it ended up being fine, and now it was just really quiet around here.

I swear, I was just a few seconds from falling asleep on the counter when the door opened, making me snap to attention. Much to my surprise, a very tired looking Raguna stumbled into my shop.

"Come on in," I gave my typical customer greeting. I took a pause then, waiting to see what Raguna needed. His brunette hair seemed to be a fussy mess, as though the wind, still blowing around angrily outside, was teasing it every which way while he'd been working.

He made it up to the counter, and just before I had a chance to ask him even a simple question, Raguna heavily flopped against the wood. He groaned in what I quickly recognized as frustration. With his head turned slightly to the side for air, he looked up at me with baby blue eyes. "I hate weather…."

Smiling, I let myself give a gentle chuckle to my friend. "I take it you've been having a fun day?" My reply was an annoying groan, whine kind of noise. "You have damage to your farm then?"

Raguna shot up suddenly and smacked the counter with both hands. "Oh my god! You don't even know!"

I laughed softly at the brunette's antics, use to these over dramatic bouts of his that would come out on occasion. Raguna seemed shy and quiet at first, but by now we had all worked him out of his shell. He had long since befriended almost everyone here in the village to some extent, and in turn we had all seemed to help the amnesiac boy discover a part of who he was. Maybe he couldn't remember his old life, but instead Raguna had made a life for himself here.

"So," he mumbled calming back down a little. "I know today's a bad day for me to ask you this…. But any chance that you could come do a repair for me?"

Yeeeeees! Finally a job! Money, work and time to chat with Raguna; all good things. "Sure thing. What do you need man?"

Raguna gave a little smile when I agreed. "Actually… there's kind of a gaping hole in the roof of one of my animal huts…"

"Whoa, that…. Would be a problem yes."

"I already moved my woolly into the other hut so it wouldn't get hurt if the roof clasped." He sheepishly scratched his arm. "I mean I'd fix it myself and all but-"

I waved my hand. "Say no more; I'll help you. After all it's not like your animals can stay crowed together like that, and you can't move the one back if the roof is in that kind of shape."

"Really?" Raguna leaned partway over the counter, peeking my way while I started grabbing things. "I don't wanna impose on you today after all."

"It's no trouble." I insisted, gathering my hammer, some nails and various other tools that I may need for this. "I'm surprisingly not busy today. Everybody is hiring Neumann for repairs. Or doing it themselves, I don't know; they certainly aren't hiring me though."

Raguna frowned watching me pull my gloves on snuggly. "But… are you sure?"

"Yes!" I insisted, tapping him on the head as I passed him and counter on the way to the door. "Now come on, or I'll start pounding on random buildings all over your farm."

After a quick squeaky noise, signaling his alarm for such a thing, Raguna turned and jogged up behind me. We went out to the village together, me locking the door as I went and then set off down the path to the south. We passed Emmett on the way through town, and he waved cheerily at us. Raguna waved back, I nodded, yet was also lost in thought after that moment.

How far we had come… The day we met, Raguna was so shy and would barely look at Pops. When he'd look at me, he'd blush all over the place so nervously. Now though, it was common practice to see him and I hanging out throughout the day. It was something the rest of the villagers were use to, rather, they looked for it.

Often when Raguna would get done with his farm work, he'd come into town and talk to me about his animals or the animals around the village in general. Other days we'd simply meet up at Emmett's bar and share lunch with one another, before going fishing for an afternoon. Although I was no good at it, Raguna would help me and share tips as we'd sit side-by-side at the river. I suppose Pops had been right; Raguna and I really had become good friends. There wasn't a lot to do out here in Kardia, nor were there a lot of people to talk to. You were bound to make friends at some point in time while living out here, and it had just taken the introduction of Raguna before I could finally make a genuine friendship with somebody.

These past few seasons had been great. I never wanted things between him and I to change.

"Follow me. It's this second hut here." Raguna said, giving me a light wave. I followed behind as instructed, assessing the damage as I went. It appeared that the repair would take five or six healthily pieces of wood. The west facing side of the roof looked as though a large stone had rammed through some of the beams.

I surveyed it closer when we got to the side of the building "Hm… you have that ladder around here still?"

Raguna thought for a second before he just jogged away. I waited patiently for him to come back, and then helped to prop the ladder against the hut. As I climbed the wooden structure, the brunette lurked beneath me to steady the ladder.

"How many boards do you need Camus?" he asked attentively. I told him the figure I'd estimated earlier, and Raguna headed off to his little wood shed to get me some.

I examined the hole in the roof, now face to face with it. Grumbling, I started pulling at some loose splinters of wood that dangled off the jagged boards. I took some time to also yank the parts closest to the supporting wall away as they would need to be replaced too.

"Here you go!" Raguna cheered. I quickly glanced down to see the brunette smiling sweetly up at me. He hugged the boards he'd gotten me to his chest in a boyish manor- it was cute.

I nodded, "Alright then, just leave them there and I'll get to work for you."

From there we went our separate ways. I set to work pulling up more of the boards, and beginning to pound new ones in. Raguna on the other hand set off, jogging around his farm to clean up the mess made by the storm. As the afternoon passed, my work went smoothly. It really was an easy repair. I was honestly more distracted by Raguna then anything else. Every time he would run by me, my eyes were drawn to him. I watched the boy work his hardest, yanking and pulling up weeds, chopping his way through logs and sticks suddenly on his property.

Raguna really was a hard worker. Since the first day I'd seen him, the boy had seemed to bulk up a little. His arms were getting stronger from all his work, and his torso seemed less skinny. With all the work he did, this wasn't really a surprise, but I suppose it did prove me wrong. The assumption I had made earlier in the year was that he wouldn't be able to handle this job. I had obviously been wrong.

Through out the day, I worked while noting that Raguna did in fact run all over the place. How he didn't collapse was beyond me. Three times I saw him dash completely off the property, whether it was running into town or towards the mountains. I really had no idea where he was getting all that energy from.

Around six o'clock I clambered down the ladder, finished with my job. Streaching, I heard my knee crack softly in the process. It took a moment, but Raguna finally spotted me now on the ground and hurried over to me.

He looked up at the roof of his hut and smiled widely. "Wow. It looks great Camus. Thank you so much."

"Don't worry, it was no trouble Raguna." I place my hand to my chin, thinking. "I'll only need about 200 G if that's alright with you/"

Raguna's eyes widened. "What!" he scrabbled to get his coin pouch. "N-no, you need more then that!"

Rolling my eyes I waved him off. "No, no, 200 is fine, really. I was an easy patch. Plus, it's not like I had anything else that was begging my attention."

By the frown on his face it didn't seem like Raguna would accept this from me. "…fine…but you have to let me buy you dinner tonight!" He pointed and glared at me like this was some sort of threat. However, that playful gleam in his eye gave him away as it always did.

Sighing I threw my hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright, I give. You win." I winked causing him to break out in a wide grin.

"Yay," Raguna cheered, clapping his hands together. "I'm basically done with my work now, if you would like to go soon?"

I thought. "Well… I think I'd like to go take a bath at Melody's first before I go out in public. I could meet at the tavern around seven?"

It was Raguna's turn to plan and think, "Yeah… yeah I think that should give me enough time to actually tend to my plants in Carmite before it gets any later."

We nodded at one another now having a set plan, and each of us took off. Raguna went east to the cave, while I wandered into town so that I may relax and work out some of the tension built up through out my day.

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><p>It was just about seven exactly when I began to walk out of the bath house. My whole body felt much more relaxed and loose now; it was wonderful. I walked back along the path heading for the Tavern, and spotting Raguna waiting outside for me already.<p>

"Hello," I greeted jogging up to him. "From the way you'd been talking, figured I'd be the one to get here first."

A soft smile appeared on him. "Oh, it's okay. I just got here too," but there was an almost guilty flush on his face. He must have been lying to me. I saw no point in pushing the issue and let him wave me into the tavern.

We were greeted right away by Emette's booming voice, and went quickly to a table as to avoid the glances or greeting of other villagers within. Raguna grabbed the menu first, glancing at the different foods available. He picked something quickly and shyly passed it over to me, after which I took a quick look myself. Although I was focused more on the prices littering the menu then the food. I didn't want to buy anything that was too expensive if Raguna was going to buy the meal.

Just as I tossed the paper back to the table, Emmett was over at our table. "Welcome. What would you boys like this evening?"

"I'll just have the fried eggs and a cup of hot milk," I answered, glancing at Raguna in case he protested to my small order. I would be ready to argue back.

He didn't though, and instead began to order himself. "I think I'll get a salad and an orange juice, please."

"Comin' right up!" The gray haired man said. Emmett walked off leaving us alone for a nice bout of intense awkward silence. My eyes drifted about the tavern noting that Neumann was there too. He obviously hadn't had much work either. Sabrina sat across from him, drinking cheerily, traces of old love and friendship from the past showing proudly on their faces. If people already didn't know their story, they just needed to watch these two interact and could almost clearly see the love they had shared.

I turned after a bit of thinking, and was surprised to see Raguna staring at me. I blinked and as he realized he'd been caught he started to blush slightly. "Ah, erm, s-so did you guys have any damage from th-the storm?"

Raising an eyebrow at his odd behavior I answered. "Ah… yeah. Well, my shop was okay, that is, but the clinic had gotten some broken windows actually." I ran my tongue across my top teeth- a habit of mine. The muscle stroked one of my unusually sharp canines. There were reasons some of the other's teased me and had nicknamed me 'the dog' when we were all younger. Ironic that I would open a shop dedicated to animals.

"That's bad…" He murmured. "I guess I didn't even notice- was he open?"

That actually surprised me a bit. I had always thought Raguna kind of had a crush on Lara, so it seemed odd to me that he hadn't stopped by the clinic. "Uh… I actually don't know. He was fixing the window when I left, but I never stopped back to check on his progress…" Well... apparently I wasn't one to talk. That was my own father after all and I didn't even know.

Raguna gave a 'hrm' noise, but didn't get a chance to elaborate as there was suddenly food shoved in front of both of us. My fried eggs sizzled and I could feel the warmth practically rolling off of it. That was the first moment I realized just how hungry I was.

"Thank you," Raguna and I both called, already eyeing our plates like hungry animals.

Emmett laughed warmly. "Enjoy boys!"

When his back was turned, we almost literally started attacking our food. We ate in near silence, save for the sounds that came with eating, because we really were that hungry- apparently. It was a good dinner, and even if we weren't really talking, I did enjoy Raguna's company. Most time when I'd glance up at him, he would shoot me that sweat, soft smile. It was nice… a very relaxing evening with my best friend.

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><p>"Mm, that was so good… Thanks Raguna."<p>

Raguna beamed over at me as I patted my full stomach in an animated fashion. "You're welcome."

I was currently leading the two of us back to the younger boy's farmland. The least I could do was walk him home after he paid for my meal. I gave a happy sigh.

Raguna glanced up at me, blinking. "Did…"

"Hm?"

"No," he murmured, casting his eyes away again. "No, it's nothing forget it." Flipping his hand about, he pushed the issue away. I shrugged in reply, but jumped slightly just a second later. Raguna's accidentally hand brushed mine as we walked side by side. That warm feeling pulsed through me from the tips of my toes and fingers, right to my face. I flushed. This was just like that day we met…

The other's reaction was more violent then my simple start. Raguna yanked his hand up and away, blushing furiously at me. "S-sorry!"

I didn't know what to say at first. Finally I nodded at him. "No… problem..." Crushing silenced captured us and I could only try to swallow the sudden lump crawling into my throat.

What was that? It… it wasn't… like anything I had ever felt before. The way my heart would skip or flutter when he'd brush my skin, or the way I'd always get just so happy when Raguna would smile my way. Was this just what it meant to have a friend? A really, really good friend like Raguna?

When we got up to his house, silence still loomed over us both. For some reason I was letting myself get all flustered over that little touch from before. It was so unlike me, so in an attempt to redeem myself a little, I just nodded. "So, thanks again… you know for dinner and everything."

Raguna brushed at some wild hair attacking his cheeks as the wind blew. "Ah, no problem. You deserve it after all."

He really was being too grateful… "Dude, its fine. You needed the repairs. It's my job, and you paid me anyways so."

"But… I wanted to so…" I noted the way he fidgeted and his hand seemed to creep to one of the bags at his side. He went so far as to brush over the bag protectively.

"Whatcha got there?"

Raguna blanched and sputtered. "Uh… well… erm…" He just sighed, reaching into the bag. "Well… I know it isn't much, and I'm not sure you'll even like it," It was a small white box, tide with fat blue yarn. Raguna held out the box to me with a wide smile. "Happy Birthday Camus."

My heart fluttered excitedly in my chest and I feared it would escape. I slowly took the box, just staring at it for a little. "You… you remembered?"

"Of course." He gave me a confused face. "That's why I didn't wanna bother you with repairs today of all days."

"Oh…" I ran my finger over the soft yarn. It had probably come from one of his animals. I tugged the knot, letting the seal break, and pushed open one of the top flaps. Inside was a small little crest, one of the warrior crests found in Carmite cave. I remember telling Raguna the story of how I'd lost one of these once.

Pops had let me venture into the cave when I was younger, and a warrior crest had been my first ever prize from the cave. However, it had gotten worn with age, and when Nicholas had taken it to play with, without my permission- pretending he was some kind of monster to torment Cecilia- my crest had been broken. I had been super mad at Nicholas, but Pops just told me to let it go. Said it was just a stupid little crest, and that the boy hadn't meant any harm. Since then I just hadn't found the time to really go exploring in Carmite, let alone focus on getting another warrior crest.

When I had told Raguna that story, I… I had never, even expected him to really remember such a thing, let alone give me one of these as a present. "Raguna… I…"

His face fell. "Oh… you don't like it do you? I'm sorry, I know it was stupid; I-"

"No!" my head snapped up, and I saw Raguna flinch, because of my harsh tone. "No…" I stepped closer, and dropped my voice in volume from that sudden outburst. "I love it Raguna. I just… can't believe you would remember my birthday, and get me something so special."

He flushed with pride, and smiled. "R-really? I wasn't sure if you would like it, so I'm glad you do. I mean, I figured that- well…"

I could tell he was trying not to ramble. Raguna didn't talk a lot, but if you get him going just right and he wanted to, the boy had a tendency to go on for too long. Being the great friend I was I quickly cut him off before he ruined the moment (wait, this was a moment?) "Thank you Raguna. You're a great friend."

Raguna seemed to flinch slightly, which intrigued me, but he gave another weak half smile. "It was no problem. I'm happy you like it and you enjoyed dinner too." He played with his hair again, and I saw a blush start blooming across his cheeks. "I- er- you are special to me and all so I just wanted to get you something at least."

I'll never know why I did this. When I did it I don't think I was even thinking anymore. It was like one of those weird out of body experiences, when I started leaning forward. My breath caught, and I mumbled something ('Raguna?' Maybe?) Then, my lips were pressing softly to the brunette's as I cupped his cheek.

I had never ever thought about kissing- actually kissing Raguna... My lips seemed to tickle his, just with a feather light touch. Time froze as we stood there chastely kissing until I felt his hand pushing into my chest.

Shit. What was I doing! Of course he wouldn't want this! He was trying to push me away, so I pulled back on my own, eyes widening in shock. We both immediately brought our hand up, gracing out lips. Lips that were suddenly wet and warm from the taste of the other. I looked straight at the wild fall grass at my feet- no way I was gonna see his reaction… He must have hated me for what I'd just done. Why the fuck had I done that!

"I- uh- I gotta go now!" Like the coward I was, I turned on my heel and ran. It was like the cliché in some cheesy love novel. I just kissed him and ran off like an idiot. "Thanks for dinner." I had the decency to call back before I was too far. Although after what just happened, decency probably really didn't matter now.

Like a coward still, I never stopped until I got to the clinic. The sound of my footfalls as I hit the cobblestones rang out in my ears and my heartbeat speed. I practically feel against the door before ripping it open. Pops called to me from the office, but I flat out ignored him and opted to just bolt upstairs and to my room. I slammed the door behind me and slid down its cool wood.

_!_ I covered my mouth fully with my palm, a cold sweat breaking out across my brow and already crawling down my back. I had just… kissed my best friend. Raguna… That adventurous boy that I'd only met a few months back. Why? Why would I ever kiss another boy? No, better question; why had I enjoyed the feeling of the kiss so much!


	3. Chapter 3: Moonlit Eve

**A.N: ohewlkjgh;oriaeghtew;oi- algoijhaweroifg- rrg... This took me... forever... and it's not even that long. o-o I really don't know why I was hit by such a terrible case of writer's block every time I tried to finish this, but I so was. I didn't- I can't- uuuuugh. I'm really, really sorry to all of you that waited so long for this! If you're still there and reading, thank you so much for not abandoning me! I'm honestly surprised you suck around this long. TwT Thanks again!**

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><p>For the next couple days I tried to avoid Raguna like the pelage. Admittedly that was hard to pull off when he wasn't acting any different. Raguna would wander into the shop each day, smile warmly at me, and ask if I wanted to get lunch like we always did. With slight tremble to my voice, I kept thinking up lame reasons that I couldn't do it. It made me feel a little guilty, but the smile Raguna would always give in return gave me pause. Maybe he really didn't mind me doing that.<p>

In the end, I would always just smile back and play it off as the simple situation it was, yet inside my heart and my brain were having intense arguments over all of this. There were about three times in one visit from him that I almost blurted out any of the following: 'Did you feel anything?' or 'Are you mad at me!' even 'Wanna kiss again…?' Any of the times Raguna left the shop, I found my head hitting the counter and a groan spilling over my lips. I was such an idiot…

Three days after my birthday- a.k.a. the day I screwed everything up- the town was abuzz with talk of Moonlit Eve. Many of the girls had spent the morning giggling and chirping over who might actually ask them to go. Lukas asked Rosetta like always, and to the surprise of most she finally agreed (if a bit begrudgedly.) Zavier gathered all his courage and invited Mist, practically falling over with shock as she agreed.

Lady Ann and Russell, Neumann and Sabrina, and Nicholas and Cecilia were all hoping to go together- although Cecilia and Nicholas probably wouldn't actually be able to go, and if they did, it wouldn't be anything serious obviously.

Yawning that afternoon, I headed down the stairs. My upper back twinged because of the change after I'd spent most of the morning laying in bed reading. Really though, I'd been hiding from Pops. I knew he'd ask me as soon as I went down stairs, "So who are you asking to the festival Camus?"

Sure enough as I touched down, there were both Pops and Lara. "So who are you hoping to go with Lara?" Oh… okay well he was still prying, but he was leaving me alone at least.

Lara blushed and giggled like one of the many giddy girls around Kardia. "Well… To be honest… I was hoping Raguna would invite me."

I flinched at the mere mention of his name. Swallowing hard I glared absentmindedly and unnoticed at Lara while Pops prattled on.

"Really? Well he certainly is a good well rounded boy. I wasn't aware that you liked the farm boy, but he would be a good match for you."

For some reason, my stomach sank. He was right- Raguna and Lara would be perfect together. The hansom, dedicated farm boy and the sweet, preachers-daughter-turned-nurse. It was like a romance pulled straight out from a storybook. I passed the two clinical workers silently, walking myself over to the bookshelves. Sighing, I almost angrily pushed my book back in its place. Why was I angry? The hell had I been expecting between Raguna and me? First, we were guys. Second, we were best friends, why should we screw that up by adding some kind of feelings. And third, we were both guys!

I listlessly ran my fingers across the rough wood of the bookshelf, sighing a second time. Why had I kissed him in the first place? I still had no answer to that or why I was even getting all testy right now.

"Camus?"

"Hm?" I sighed dreamily before snapping from my daze. "What?" I properly asked, looking over to the source of the question.

Lara cocked her head at my strange response. "Are you asking anyone to the festival tonight?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't really feel like going." Which I didn't. Right now was not a good time for me mentally obviously, and I didn't feel the need to let myself get stressed over the holiday on top of all of this.

She frowned placing a hand to her soft cheek. "Oh, but I thought for sure you would ask Melody?"

I smiled halfway, looking off above Lara's head. Melody… She was awesome. Something about how mysterious and silly she was had always drawn me to her in an adolescent crush kind of way, defiantly. But here lately I haven't found myself quite as interested in pursuing my affections toward her. Was it… was it because I'd become so distracted with my friendship with Raguna? Was this still even a friendship? Geez! I was ready to start ripping my hair out; this whole situation was driving me bonkers.

It took me a moment, but I finally realized that Lara was actually waiting for an answer. "Nah, I really don't think I'll go this evening with anyone."

And then came the dreaded moment when Pops could no longer keep his trap shut. "Well why don't you go with Lara, Camus?" he asked ignorantly, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. "If Raguna doesn't ask her that is."

Glancing over to Lara, I was actually glad to see her leery look. She looked at me silently with a confused and almost alarmed expression. Yeah… we obviously didn't wanna go together and I wasn't offended by her response at all. If anything, I was most offended when Pops said 'If Raguna doesn't ask her.' Was I really getting jealous now?

In order to save her from having to turn me down in front of her employer, I replied first. "No Pops… I told you; I don't wanna go. At all."

The old man opened his mouth, "But you're-"

"No," Was my reply, with a turn on my heel- I was done with this conversation and wanted him to know it. "Now if you'll excuse me you two, I need to run and check on something at the shop." With that I was out the door and gone before Pops could say another word.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon passed without much of a hitch for me. Nobody needed anything from the shop; I could have stayed closed since it was a holiday, but it wasn't like I had anything better to do. So around two I'd officially opened my doors to see if anyone needed something. Animals did have to eat still despite the holiday after all.<p>

Sure enough, about an hour later, Raguna traipsed in with that sweet smile. "Hello Camus," he said.

Sigh, how was I so lucky to get a friend like this? So cute... I mentally shook myself off that conflicting line of thought (seriously, where did that come from?) "Hey, thanks for coming, as always... what can I get you?"

He nearly skipped up to the counter. "I'd like some animal feed. Some of my seeds got ruined during that hurricane, and I just ran out of stuff for the animals. I should be good with just eight for today."

I nodded and turned to get some bags for him. They were kind of heavy, and made a soft 'pat' when I dropped them all on the counter. "There you go then." I even managed to give him a somewhat weak smile.

Raguna hefted the bags into his arms, almost dropping two of them and making me worry enough to reach across the counter to grab his arm. Why'd I grab there and not just caught the bag? Either way our contact steadied him well enough- although he blushed from the action. Suddenly I felt my own cheeks heat up. This was the first time we'd touched since... I pulled back as calmly as my body would let me, which in reality was a super dramatic recoil where I held both my hands up as though to say, 'see, here they are!' "Uh... Do you want me to help you carry those back to the farm?" I asked as a lame distraction.

He looked down, hair covering his eyes so I couldn't tell just what emotion lie in them, but after a minute he timidly agreed to have me help.

"Okay then," I came around from the counter and took half the bags out of his arms before he could even tell me how many to take off his hands. I was just chivalrous like that. I led the stuttering boy out of the shop (locking it behind me) and carefully watched to make sure he could handle all four of his bags. "Led the way my friend." I causally told him. Friend…Yeah…. That sounded better than…. Than what exactly?

Sighing softly just to myself, I walked a few paces behind Raguna so I could just kind of, think I suppose it was. What was it I wanted from him exactly? My eyes flew across that lean back, trailing down from slightly wide shoulder to his skinny frame and dainty legs. I pursed my lips up ever so slightly, kind of off put by how silly I was being about all this, but damn it the more I thought about Raguna and the fact that I'd kissed him…. The more appealing I found the idea of doing so once more. Maybe… maybe I really didn't want to be just his friend.

I watched him flash a gorgeous smile at Tori, Lay Ann's incredibly shy daughter, and I found my own heart skipping a beat. Wow… there really was just something appealing about that boy. He was just… really cute. It made me want to hug him and kiss him. I blushed a bit at the thought- how silly of me to think about it all in such a truly girly manner, but that was just… I really wanted to do just that. Friends did not do that though. I totally wanted to be more. Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, realization seemed to flow over me. It was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders simply by admitting that I felt something more then friendship for Raguna. It just seemed right.

As we walked onto his farm together, he glanced back at me and I realized that I was staring at him. Eyes widening a bit, I sputtered, and glance away hoping that he'd drop it. Which he luckily did, worrying about getting the feed to his huts instead. Raguna walked to his second hut and started to dump the food through the slot for his animals. "Can you put yours in there for me?" he motioned to the other hut.

"Course," I told him.

Raguna's eyes were locked on me for a moment or two as I started placing the feed in, but I didn't acknowledge it. Rather I watched him out of the corner of my eye, trying to see his expression as he watched me. It was an almost lost look for whatever reason, and I had to wonder just what was it he was thinking…

We got both of our feed bags put into the huts and turned toward one another. There was a moment of decently awkward silence; me thinking about kissing him again and Raguna thinking about God knows what. He gave a little smile finally, "Well thanks for your help."

"No problem dude."

Raguna nodded. "I hope I didn't… I mean did you have any plans for tonight? I'd hate to have distracted you from them."

Rolling my eyes, I waved him off. "Ugh, you sound like Pops. I'm not going tonight; too much of a hassle. You're fine, happy to help actually."

Nodding softly, Raguna crossed his arms. "I see… thanks again. But, um… why aren't you going? Isn't it supposed to be a big festival? Everybody's going right?"

"Mm, well most people are yeah." I shuffled my feet, watching the tall grasses dance over my boots. A breezy gust of wind made the grasses whip about faster, and cooled my skin. Winter was coming; you could simply feel it in the air. There was probably one more hot day left this season before we would all have to start breaking out the winter clothing and supplies.

"It is a romantic festival though… you're supposed to go up with someone you really care about, and well… there isn't really… anyone…" I didn't want to say there wasn't anyone I cared about since I was now pretty damn sure I cared about Raguna. Visa-versa, it was not like I could simply attend such an event with another man unnoticed though. "There isn't anyone I can go with."

Raguna smiled with a soft laugh. "Oh…I see…same here actually…" He looked down to the ground just about the moment I turned to look up. "I would really like to understand what all the fuss is about though." He kicked at a rock beneath his feet, face contorted in thought. "I guess I just don't get the big deal about it all you know? I kind of want to see it still."

My heart did a loop-de-loop; man, I wanted to go with him now! Tell him everything I was thinking and kiss him again. A then a few more times after that. It sucked that this town was so religious, and we were insanely closed off. If I tried to date a guy… lord I didn't even want to think about the consequences of that… Pops would murder me. Lara would be disgusted (daughter of the most religious person in town.) Zavier would probably never talk to me again, and he was my only friend besides Raguna. The repercussions of me and Raguna together were almost too many for me to even consider it, but damn it I wanted to try it.

"Hey…" That smooth voice pulled me out of my internal fawning. "This… might seem insane, but it's not like I have any idea where you're supposed to go or anything at this event, and I can't go with any of the girls… Do you think you could take me up this year so I can at least see what it's like up there?"

I stared at him wide eye. Did he just…?

As though realizing all the problems with that question, Raguna flailed his hand about in front of him. "No I mean- nothing weird meant by that. I just want you to show me like the best spot or something! We don't even have to go during the festival if you don't want! That way none of the people there will bother us, so if you'd be- I mean if you're free- but if you don't- I can, erm…"

Swallowing hard I shook my head, running a hand through my tousled hair. The air suddenly felt rushed through my lungs, but I tried to get it under control and not show any sort of emotion to the farm boy. "I wasn't….really planning on going, but if you want to… I could take you up about midnight. Show you the best spot and you'll be able to see what the stars are like."

Raguna hesitated, before looking up at me with a wide grin. "Really?" he breathed. "I mean, I don't want you to feel awkward or anything, like-"

Before he started rambling again, I quickly waved him off once again. "Eh, no, it's fine. I mean if were to show you a good spot during the day you wouldn't see the point of it all anyways. If we go at midnight the stars will still be out, but all the others will have probably gone home by then."

"You're sure you're okay with taking me up?"

I nodded firmly, not willing to tell him just why I was so adamant to take him up there. "Yeeeees!" I sighed as though horribly annoyed with him, while I simultaneously threw an arm around his shoulders. Standing arm to arm, we walked toward his quaint little house. "I was just going to rest at home tonight, but honestly a late night walk could probably do me some good." Pulling my arm back we stopped in front of his house now. "So I'll come meet you here about 11:50 or so?"

He hesitated for some reason, but Raguna finally smiled at me. "Sure, you can take me on the grand tour of the Moonlit festival then!"

I laughed, "Yeah… sure you call it that if you want, but I'll tell you right now it's not that exciting."

"Well I'm sure I'll still have fun." There was that dazzling smile again. I feared that would make me go blind or something one day. Seriously; I didn't really follow all that religious stuff too closely, but I was pretty sure this was what an angel's smile was. Or something… I've never been very poetic… It was probably best that I didn't try to convey that to him right then because then I would have sounded even stupider than normal.

Smiling, I sighed through my nose. "Well, I should head back to the shop now."

"Okay," Raguna nodded. "I'll see you tonight."

"Uh-huh," I played it off cool, but I really just wanted to kiss him again.

* * *

><p>Never an emotional type of person, I felt like I would die that evening. There were a lot of times through out my sitting around in which I thought for sure my stomach was about to flip itself out of my body. I was nervous, excited, petrified, worried, happy, and terrified all at once. Somehow… I didn't understand it either.<p>

It really didn't make sense for me to be getting this worked up; Raguna had clearly wanted me to just take him up to the mountain as a friend so that he would know what to expect for next year's festival. So why was I concerned? Well… I worried that I wouldn't be able to stop myself from kissing him again. A romantic setting like that, the two of us, alone… Yep… yep I was fucked.

Around 11:30 I picked myself off my bed once more and prepared to sneak out. Why is it that when ever you try to be quiet, everything is about one-hundred percent louder? The sound of my door creaking open was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand full at attention like good little soldiers, and I tensed the rest of the way through when Pops snored loudly in his sleep.

Hand to God, it took me another ten minutes to creep down stairs and out of the damn house. Pops had always been a light sleeper and the last thing I needed was him bothering me about where I was going! Once the clinic door had been shut softly behind me, I breathed a hardy sigh of relief, then marched to the southern farm.

Raguna, in all his adorable glory, was patiently rocking back and forth on his heels, staring down at the ground as he waited for me in front of his home. I smiled and waved to him, when I caught his eye.

"Camus," he smiled back, standing up straighter.

"Yo." To kill my nerves a bit, I ruffled his hair when I reached his side. The contact did the opposite of calming me though. Damn, were all out friendly mannerisms out of the question now that I had gone and developed all these annoying feelings?

Meanwhile, Raguna whined at me. "Nooo! Stop! Why do you always do that!" He puffed out his cheek and tried desperately to fix his hair.

Chuckling, I patted him on the shoulder before taking a few tentative steps onward. "Come on," I said, "your hair looks fine. Now let's get going before it gets any later."

"Ah," he gasped. "Yeah okay!" Raguna trotted after me, both of us falling into a silence as we climbed to the top of Mt. Clemens. When we reached the summit, whole town laid out below us, we were also greeted by a sky canvassed in the brightest stars. The moon was full, bright, and gave off more light then you'd ever imagine seeing at night.

I smiled pleasantly as I lead Raguna to the side of the mountain where you got the best view of the ocean which reflected the stars. "Here," I told him. "This is the best place in my opinion."

He continued on a few paces more then I did; wanted to be closer to the edge I suppose. "Wow…" Raguna breathed, his eyes twinkling in the starlight. "It's beautiful…"

_You're beautiful… _I thought, then instantly blushed to myself. But…he really was… That innocent smile. Chocolate hair caught in the moonlight to become a radiant color. Blue eyes looking brighter than any of the stars in that sky. I had to steady myself before I did something stupid again like kissing him. I had to hold myself back until I understood what he wanted from me. At this point I could only assume Raguna only wished for friendship; meaning no kissing.

"The stars are so pretty." Raguna sighed, just staring up at them excitedly.

"Mmm," I added, coming up next to him. "This is the night that they are the clearest and brightest in the sky." I crossed my arms. "It never fails. There have been years before where it's stormed like hell on the sixteenth, but somehow it always clears up for this evening."

The brunette smiled broadly. "That's unbelievable… I understand now why all the girls were so excited. This would be a really romantic spot to come to with someone special..." he kind of trailed off as though embarrassed.

Glancing over I noted that his cheeks were pink now. "Raguna…" I started, only pausing because I was nervous to hear how he'd answer my question. "Why didn't you invite one of the girls from the village? I'm sure- …I know any of them would have wanted to go with you."

He looked at me, before looking at the ground sadly. "I know… but I don't really… I'm still not looking at any of the girls in a romantic way. I'd hate to do something like inviting them here and get their hopes up." Raguna started nervously playing with his gloved hands. "I know what that feels like, and I wouldn't want to put any of them through that…"

I gave Raguna a sympathetic look at first, feeling sorry for- Hey wait a minute. "Wait a minute," I actually blurted out not really thinking, and making the boy glance back my way. "Who!" Who would have led you on around here? Unless… you got your memories back…?"

Raguna went pale. I was happy for the moonlight being so bright; I could actually see it happen. My heart beat faster in anticipation, anger, and worry. "Ah! N-no… I still can't… n-never mind! Forget I mentioned anything!'

"Raguna."

He bit at his bottom lip, dread obvious on his face. "I-It's not… I didn't mean anything like _that_ you see. Rather…" he was furiously picking at a string on his gloves now, obviously desperate for the distraction no mater how mundane. "Never mind," he added as a whisper.

"Never mind?" I said a bit angrier then I'd meant to. "Look if someone around here is hurting your feelings in anyway then this is my problem too. You're my best friend after all."

He looked really hurt and I thought he would tell me, yet the only sound through the air was the rustling trees brought on my soft fall winds.

"Raguna!"

"You!" Raguna finally yelled.

I took a step back. My heart jumped into my throat, then plummeted downward causing me to feel sick to my stomach. Me? It was my fault that…that he wore such a hurt expression? No sound came out of my mouth as I opened it. What the hell could I say? He wasn't looking my way anymore anyways, so he couldn't even tell that I was making an effort to talk, sort of.

Raguna buried his face in his hands, and had his voice not been so steady I'd of thought he was crying. "Why the hell do you think I would invite _you_ up here! I've had people explaining the festival to me all week; of course I understand how it works! I only asked you up here because… because I have feelings for you, but I knew if I didn't make up that lame excuse you'd never come with me." His hands feel back to his sides, revealing eyes that were even shinier then previously. He hadn't started to cry yet, but he was certainly about to while staring up at the night sky. "I know it's stupid, and I must be crazy to feel this way towards another guy, but… damn it!" The first tear slipped down his cheek. "I hate this! Why'd it have to be you! You've been my best friend ever since I moved here and then I went and ruined it by telling you all this…" he looked down and closed his eyes, more tears spilling over. "I was so happy when you kissed me… but then you never… I figured you thought it was a mistake…"

I couldn't take it any more. Moving behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him against my chest. I buried my face in the crook of his neck. "I had the chance to go with Melody or Lara; both very attractive girls, but I turned each of them down. Yet I came up here with you without hesitation…" I inhaled deeply. Raguna smelled like a farm in a good way; like plants, trees, water, and flowers. It was beautiful! "Do you think I would do that if I didn't feel something for you as well?"

It took a long while, but finally his head shook against my own and he sobbed. "N-No way… that's impossible…" Another sob. "No, that's too much like a dream…"

My head snapped up. Shifting us both around, I made it work so Raguna's face was to me, even while being sideways in my arms. "Do you really think I would have kissed you for no reason!"

"Well how should I know!" he snapped, glaring at me through his tear clouded eyes. "You never said anything! You just kissed me, said "Bye" and ran off like a crazy person!"

Okay, so he had me there… "That's because I was terrified…" I breathed out, speaking more honestly then I thought possible right now. "I figured you'd be pissed at me, so I ran off."

Raguna wigged his arm up to wipe at his eyes, whisking the old tears away (hopefully not to make room for more…) "Well obviously I wasn't! …I was only pissed when you didn't say anything about it for three whole days. You do realize I've been going insane with worry here right?"

So for three days while I had been pulling my hair out with worry and trying to think of what all of this was… Raguna had been doing the same all along, except he'd known his feelings for me all along apparently. Despite the fact that the other had been crying not more then a minute ago, I now found myself laughing at all this. At first he only gave me a leery look until I said, "Wow, we're both idiots aren't we?" then he started laughing too.

It took us far too long to stop finding this whole thing funny, but we finally did and soon found ourselves standing in one another's arms. We each blushed together under the moon light, getting lost in each other's eyes. My heart beat like mad in my chest, and I wasn't helping it by running my hands up and down Raguna's hips the way I was. He slid his own hands against my wide back, as we both leaned in closer.

"Raguna…"

"Camus I…I really, really…"

I cut him off, "Me too."

Finally… after three long days of torment and stupidity, our lips were reunited once more. God, it was wonderful… His lips felt so soft… I hated to say they were like a girl's lips, but judging from what little prior experience I had, I really wasn't noticing a difference. They curved against my own so perfectly, and when we moved our lips together it was best feeling in the world.

One of his hands slithered up to my grey blond hair, playing with the small strands at the base of my neck. As though matching his bet, I slipped a hand around to caress the small of his back, pulling him even closer then before. He gasped ever so slightly and I took a chance. A really big chance that probably could have gone really bad really quickly; I pressed my tongue just slightly past those parted lips. It was a bit awkward at first, but Raguna finally relaxed his jaw and let me in farther.

We kissed deeply like that for what seemed like hours, just tasting each other, feeling each other… It was amazing until the need for oxygen took a higher priority. He was the one to pull away fist, giving a higher pitched whine, and falling against my chest. I panted heavily, realizing just how short of breath I was only then, and wrapped both my arms around his back protectively.

Raguna nuzzled his nose into my neck adorably. "So…?"

"So that was great!" I told him excitedly.

He swatted me on the arm, and giggled. "No not that…but thanks." His cheeks turned even redder then they were before. "No I mean… like… Does this mean we're… a couple?" he asked with an awkward tone.

I thought about it. "Well… it's not like thing's between us will really change that much will they?" Pulling back to get a better look at Raguna's face, I could tell that he looked worried. "We hang out almost every day and go to lunch together all the time… we can still do all of that stuff, which really is the type of thing couples do right?" He nodded with a soft smile. "And then we we're alone and stuff…" Instead of explaining, I leaned down and gave him another long peck on the lips.

Raguna stared back at me with lidded eyes now, looking a little loopy. "Oh… I like _that _plan."

I snickered. After another kiss to reward him for being adorable (I felt like he'd be getting that award a lot…) I had to mention something serious. "And… not that I am ashamed of you by any means- you're awesome- but if Pops found out…"

Rapidly shaking his head, Raguna fisted a hand gently into my shirt front. "No, no. I understand! …I've been in Kardia long enough to realize the people wouldn't take too kindly to us being together." He blushed, "That's why I didn't dare say anything to you…"

"Yeah," I gave a weak smile. "I guess we'll have to keep it a secret then, hm?"

A smile passed on to his lips that was far more dangerous and cocky then I'd expected. "Oooh, how exciting~" and with that we kissed once more as though sealing the deal.

**A.N.- By the way, now that you're done with this chapter, go here izzey24 .deviantart art /Moonlit-Eve-308462540 (take out spaces and add an http) and you can see a fanart I drew to go with this! ^^**


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